The Lady of the Isles (Preview)
by LadyDragon1316
Summary: On the word of an inside source, the Penitus Oculatus have come seeking the Dark Brotherhood in the city of Dawnstar. But what they find will not be what they expect. (A teaser-trailer-chapter for the sequel to 'The Wolf of Cyrodiil', with minor DB spoilers. You have been warned.)
1. Heads

**I have been playing Skyrim for a bit and now find myself coming up with a storyline in it that will act as a sequel to my Oblivion based 'Wolf of Cyrodiil' story. And since I am being plagued by two storylines at once, I figured I'd share the pain and torture my readership, too. This is a preview of my future 'Lady of the Isles' story, which I will write after I have finished my 'Wolf of Cyrodiil' story. While the plot and related material is churning in my head, I won't be able to accurately write this one until 'Wolf of Cyrodiil' is done. And that won't be for a while because the 'Wolf of Cyrodiil' is turning into a freakin' epic! Gah! Why won't my brain stop!? **

**So please, read and feel my pain! Muahahahaha!**

"Captain Avidius, it is an honor to welcome you to Dawnstar Hold."

"Thank you, Jarl Merilis. Your welcome is felt and appreciated. As is your service to the empire, both past and present."

The Jarl leaned forward on her throne, "So tell me, what brings the Penitus Oculatus to Dawnstar?"

The agent standing between her and his soldiers replied, "We do not wish to alarm you, Jarl. But we have received a tip that there is a branch of the Dark Brotherhood operating out of your hold."

The woman sat up in her seat, and her housecarl and loyal friend Horik Halfhand stiffened as well. "The Dark Brotherhood? Here?"

"I'm afraid so, Jarl. But my men and I have been sent to find and destroy them before they do you or your people any harm. If there have been any strange occurrences around your city or the surrounding area, any unexplained comings or goings, it would help to narrow our search. Any information you have would be useful."

Jarl Brina Merilis reclined back in her seat, hands clasped hard in front of her, "I'm afraid I don't have anything to report to you. There has been more traffic around here lately, but to the best of my knowledge it is all legitimate and well documented. In fact, it is becoming the norm. The last significant happening was the death of Skald the Elder."

Captain Avidius of the Penitus Oculatus leaned forward intently, "Was he murdered?"

The Jarl replied, "In a sense. But by a dragon, not the Dark Brotherhood. The Hall almost burned down completely during the attack. Stubborn fool thought his dedication to Talos would protect him. We got everyone else out alright, but found the Jarl in the wreckage after. It's been my priority since my appointment as Jarl to keep my people safe during this crisis. And if the Dark Brotherhood is here, I'll do everything in my power to help you find them. But I really don't know that you will. A few years ago I would have directed you down to the shore to that black door. But we haven't worried about that since the manor was constructed."

"Manor?" the captain asked.

"The Golden Manor, the home of the Lady of the Isles. It went up about a year and a half ago down by the beach. She built her manor over that strange door as another service to the hold. We haven't worried about it since."

The captain pressed, "And who is this Lady of the Isles?"

Jarl Merilis replied, "Lady Sharah of the Isles. She's our newest and most prominent resident. She's the reason there's been so much more activity and trade here. The reason the new White Hall is made of stone. She's done a great deal for the people here and is a Thane of the Pale. Well, the Thane. She's been invaluable to us."

Captain Avidius said carefully, "I'm afraid you may have been fooled, Jarl Merilis. Our tip included that name. She may well be working with the Dark Brotherhood."

Horik Halfhand interrupted, "Sorry to be blunt about it, but you're wrong on that. There's no way Lady Sharah's in league with a bunch of assassins."

The captain divulged further information for the sake of his point, "Our tip came from an inside source in the Dark Brotherhood. We know the Dark Brotherhood is here and that this Lady Sharah is involved. We're not belittling her service to your hold. But chances are she's been deceiving you from the start. What information do you have on her? We need to know immediately."

The Jarl and her housecarl exchanged looks of uncertainty. Then Jarl Merilis said to the soldiers, "Lady Sharah came to Dawnstar about five years ago. She has faced against Daedra, dragons, Stormcloaks and pirates for this hold. I'd be more inclined to question your source than her. I don't have anything else to tell you. But if you want information that badly, the best place for you to ask would be the Golden Manor. That is where she and her house reside."

A servant took a step out from the shadows behind a pillar where he had previously been standing, discreetly out of sight. "I could take them, my Jarl," he offered.

Jarl Merilis nodded toward him, "Thank you, Bulfrek. You're always so helpful." To the Penitus Oculatus before her, she said, "Bulfrek will take you to the manor. Whatever you are looking for will likely be found there. But, in truth, I believe you will find nothing and that your information will prove false."

The Penitus Oculatus bowed and followed the servant, who was quickly moving toward the front door. Outside, the business of Dawnstar was apparent. The harbor was holding two ships with a third being constructed on the shore. There was a steady flow of workers into and out of the mine that was just inside town limits, as well as the flow of citizens into and out of the shops.

Bulfrek, the Jarl's servant led the captain of the Penitus Oculatus down the road where the few soldiers he'd had in the hall were joined by a dozen more, swelling their ranks to just under twenty. The group drew attention, but no one interrupted their progress to ask after their business.

While they walked, Captain Avidius spoke with the servant, "What can you tell me about this Lady Sharah? The Jarl seems set in her trust, but I'd be a fool to believe that servants don't often see more than their lords."

The Nord servant replied, "I'll admit, I keep my ears open. But I agree with my Jarl on this. Lady Sharah's been a big help to the hold. Things are better here than they were before the civil war." He pointed down to the docks, "She's got some kind of connections with the East Empire Company and had them extend a route here. The hold had to expand the docks just to accommodate." Another gesture, "There used to be a hedonistic museum there. Now it's a temple to the Eight Divines. She brought the shrines in herself. We get traders, caravans, pilgrims. I never would have thought Dawnstar would be somewhere people would come seeking. And it's thanks to the Lady. With everything she's done and is doing, I can't imagine she'd even have the time to work with assassins."

They went down along the shore toward a point of land north of Dawnstar. Partly hidden by a rocky outcrop was a fine manor built of stone. Coming around, the squadron of soldiers grew a little tense as the manor revealed itself, all stone and expanse. It was a proud structure that was easily more impressive than the White Hall of the Jarl. There was a courtyard with a short wall surrounding it, stables off to one side and a garden to the other. As the group came to the front gate, an area off to the east of the manor could be seen: a backyard complete with gazebo and a slightly elevated stone platform with mats and a few slight scorch marks. And, save for those few marks, all of it was immaculate and carved and in perfect taste.

There were three living things to be seen. A Nord was leaning on a hoe speaking with an Orc who held the bridle of a fine northern horse. The horse perked its ears at the strangers' approach and the conversation stopped as the two men looked up. A couple of words and the Orc turned to lead the horse toward the stable door while the Nord came toward the company.

"Hail, Bulfrek," he boomed. As he got closer the intense markings on his face could be discerned, as well as those on his arms and neck. It was a combination of extrusive birth marks and battle scars that left very little of his skin unblemished. He came to the stone archway as the company did and stood like a human gate in front of them, barring the way. "Something we can do for you?"

The Jarl's servant replied, "Mojer, some imperial soldiers wanted to talk to the Lady of the Isles."

He crossed his arms, "She ain't here right now. They can come back."

Before the servant could answer, Captain Avidius interrupted, "This is an urgent matter. We have received intelligence to indicate there may be a threat to the empire here. We need to search the premises for signs of danger and, as a citizen of the empire, you are obliged to give us full access to this facility."

The man, Mojer, didn't move at the demand. He stood, sucking on his teeth as he thought. Finally he said, "Fine. But you'll talk to Athellor before you go snooping around the manor. He's the Lady's steward. He'll make the call. And before you get all high and mighty, keep in mind that this is our home, not a show-and-tell." Mojer took a step back from the archway, "Thanks for the warning, _Bulfrek_."

The Nord servant said hurriedly, "Sorry. It was sudden. We'll send word when the Iceberg Runner comes in."

Mojer grunted a thanks, then led the soldiers toward the manor while the Jarl's servant went back the way he'd come.

Captain Avidius the soldier eyed the scars and the muscles that came from wielding weaponry more than tools. As they walked, he questioned the Nord, "And what do you do here?"

"I'm the gardener," Mojer said over his shoulder, "I grow things. That make me a threat to the empire?" He shoved the manor's oak double doors inward without waiting for an answer.

The foyer was so large with a vaulted ceiling that it was big enough to fit the entire squadron of soldiers with breathing room. Although a handful tarried outside, taking up the position of guards on the lookout. There was a fire burning in the hearth, and the room was warm despite its size and the climate of the region. High quality carpets and tapestries covered the floor and walls respectively. Paintings and furniture finished the decor. One of the seats was occupied by a Nord woman playing a lute. She stopped at the group's appearance, but did not get up.

A Dunmer woman walked into the room to investigate the entrance, wiping her hands on a rag. Mojer addressed her immediately, "Hey Baxe. Get Athellor. There are some soldiers here."

"What for?" she asked, flicking her red eyes around the soldiers like they were just new pieces of furniture come to be added to the house.

"Threat to the empire. I don't know. Just get him."

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered uninterestedly. But she shoved the cloth in her hand and hustled through another doorway and disappeared. Mojer stood back against a wall, arms crossed, watching the soldiers.

Captain Avidius gave some subtle cues to his men and they started spreading out, apparently milling around, but in fact getting better looks into the doorways and a better scope of the environment, looking for signs of what they'd come seeking. He himself turned his attention to the woman with the lute, "Who are you?"

She stood up and bowed, "I am Lynly Star-Sung, my lord. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"And what do you do here?" He wanted to get as much information about this place as possible.

"Oh, I'm a visiting bard. Lady Sharah met me in a tavern in Ivarstead and invited me to come and teach her children music."

"And how long have you been here?"

"Three weeks, my lord. Lady Sharah tells me she is recommending me to the Bard's College in Solitude. But I am pleased to serve her here."

"Don't break nothin'," Mojer interrupted with a growl. The soldiers had progressed some way into the room at this point and the comment was directed toward the one near a set of shelves on which were displayed some tomes and elegant glass sculptures.

She picked her lute up into place, "May I play something for you while you wait?"

It proved too late an offer as an Altmer then came striding in with the Dunmer woman just behind him. He was tall even by High Elf standards, his eyes were as green as emeralds and his copper hair immaculately combed and braided. While the others wore commoner and work garb, he was dressed finely and moved with a nobility that set him apart, even if it was common amongst High Elves.

He looked over the soldiers very carefully, judging, then said to the servants, "Baxe, Mojer, your presence is no longer required. You may return to your duties. Lynly, if you would take your instrument elsewhere for a time."

Baxe flounced off into the first doorway she'd emerged from without waiting for a second invitation while Lynly Star-Sung bowed and left through another door. Mojer stood off of the wall, but kept eyeing the soldiers, "You sure?"

"I am," the Altmer replied, resolutely. "Return to your work."

The Nord grunted and shouldered through the soldiers and back through the front door. The room stayed quiet for a time. The Altmer and the captain looking each other over, neither of them moving or speaking.

Finally the Altmer said to them, "I am Briavael Athellor, steward to Lady Sharah of the Isles. Tell me what brings the Emperor's personal security force to this place." Not a question, a demand.

Captain Avidius did not waver, "We are authorized to search this facility for possible threats under the authority of Emperor."

"We have not threatened anyone. We abide by the laws of the hold and the land. Why then have we been singled out as the location of a potential danger?"

The Captain did not answer him. "I'll ask the questions here. For starters, where are you hiding the black door?"

One of the Altmer's eyebrows cocked, "What black door?"

"The one that this manor was built on. Where is it?"

"I assure you, I have no idea what you are talking about."

The Captain demanded, "In the name of the emperor, show us the black door."

The Altmer remained statuesque, and told them, "I cannot do that."

Before anyone could say a word more, the sound of a child's scream pierced the entire house. A few of the soldiers' hands leapt to their weapons and even the Altmer steward tensed as the scream got closer and congealed into a word, "BRIIIIIIAAAAAAA!"

An instant later a Nord girl less than ten years old came running into the room, her face screwed up in substantial distress, her cheeks wet with tears, holding a furred creature tightly to her chest: a black and white cat with a tail fluffed up like a chimney brush and claws sunk into the child's cloths, clearly terrorized and waiting for the first chance to escape and bolt for safety.

The little girl ran straight to the Altmer, bawling her eyes out, "Bri—Bri—a! Bria—aaauuuhhh!" She quickly descended into sobs.

Briavael Athellor knelt down quickly and took her shoulders in his hands, the normal Altmer mask of superiority now cracked by deep concern, "Runa, what is it? What has happened? Are you alright?"

The girl continued to sob, unable to make an intelligible sound. The Altmer's hands began to glow, casting a healing spell that sought out whatever was causing the child so much pain. But he seemed to find nothing. Squeezing her shoulders, he asked again, "Breathe, Runa, and tell me what has happened?"

The child gasped in breaths at the stewards prompting, still blubbering a little as she formed words, "Aven…tus…and…Sam—_aeh_!" She sobbed a bit more, then, "Pheh…Pheh…Phoebe! Lu—Look!" She threw out her chest, offering the creature she held without letting go of the poor thing.

Briavael moved his focus to the cat and then sighed in relief. Captain Avidius, who had been watching acutely, trying to make sense of the encounter, saw what had the girl so upset. There were several bare spot on the feline's backside where the hair had been cut.

The child Runa bawled anew, "They shaved her! Aventus and Samuel! They—they—auuuh!" She hugged the cat harder and the creature writhed and made a bid for freedom that only succeeded in snagging more of the child's clothes.

Completely ignoring the soldiers still present, Briavael Athellor focused his attentions on the girl. "Are you hurt?" he pressed. Runa shook her head. He sighed, then cast the same healing enchantment on the cat. It didn't serve to calm the creature, though. The Altmer then put his hands on the girl's arms, "It's alright. Everything is alright. Let Phoebe go." It took a moment for him to convince Runa to release her captive. The moment her grip loosened, the cat squirmed free, clawed into her clothes and used the leverage to vault a yard away, marking the girl in the process before streaking out of the room.

Briavael snatched Runa back by the waist when she tried to follow, casting a spell to heal the scratches and reassuring her, "Phoebe is just fine. She is not hurt. She will find somewhere she feels safe and come out when she is ready." The concern and softness in the Altmer's voice was an incredible change from how he had addressed the soldiers. The mer hoisted the girl up on his hip where she held on to him and laid her head on his shoulder, still sobbing every once in a while.

The steward looked at the soldiers, all hard Altmer superiority again, "You will wait here. And we will continue our discussion when I return." And, just like a superior Altmer, he strode out of the room without waiting for an answer. Although the care with which he carried his burden indicated that that was not all he was.

The soldiers shifted their weight uncertainly. One of them asked, "Captain? What now?"

Captain Avidius recovered himself and said, "Search the house. We're here on behalf of the Emperor. And if the Dark Brotherhood is here, we can't give them a chance to hide." Even if that display was far from what they'd expected here. The soldiers fanned out, staying in groups and breaking up to go through the various doors.

XXX

One team found their way into the servants' quarters. They searched each, one by one, every cabinet or drawer or place to hide. The Penitus Oculatus were trained in espionage as well as combat and knew where to search for the right clues. But they found nothing. One of the last doors was closed. When the soldiers opened it, they surprised a Khajiit woman seated before a loom. She leapt up, her orange eyes wide.

"Stay where you are," they ordered. "We are Imperial soldiers and we need to search the premises."

The Khajiit immediately darted around and crouched down behind her creation, staring at them through the unwoven bed of threads. They flooded into the room, pulling open the drawer and sorting through whatever they found there. But there didn't seem to be anything suspicious.

One of them turned to the Khajiit, "What's your role here?" She crouched lower, edging toward the side of her loom closest to the door. The soldier saw the motion and planted himself between her and the exit, "What is your name and what is your place here? What do you do? Answer me." Her claws sank into the wooden support of the loom and she stayed absolutely silent.

"Hey!" The soldiers turned to see Mojen, the gardener, standing in the door, eyes burning. "What do you think you're doing in here?"

"We are searching for evidence of a threat against the empire," the soldier responded, staying between the Khajiit and the door.

Mojen stalked forward, aggression in his stance and the birth marks on his face turning anger into a grotesque twisted expression. "That supposed to include scaring folk. You'd best get away from my woman or I'll put you on the ground with a split lip."

The soldier looked between the Nord and the Khajiit, "Your woman?"

"Yeah, my woman. Now back off!" he snarled.

Mojen gave the soldier a shove, but the Imperial resisted moving to some degree. "She hasn't answered our questions."

"And she won't," Mojen told him. "Shy's-From-Sight doesn't talk to anyone. Least of all, pushy imperial soldiers with no respect for a closed door." Now in the room, Mojen looked over at Shy's-From-Sight, "You alright, kitten? They do anything to you?"

The Khajiit shook her head and darted to him, slipping under his burly arm and molding herself to his side, burying her face in his pectoral in search of safety. Mojen curled his arm around her protectively and growled at the soldiers, "You'd best move on, if you know what's good for you. You're not making any friends barging into rooms unannounced."

The soldier considered pressing his authority. But given they hadn't found anything out of place in the room, they just filed out and went on to the next one, leaving the odd pair alone with Mojen glaring after them.

XXX

Captain Avidius himself took two soldiers and followed the direction the steward had gone. The house seemed larger on the inside than the outside, the straight walls of the exterior and the shape of the rooms and halls seeming to enlarge the interior.

Captain Avidius and his team continued on as quietly as possible, passing the dining room and approaching what seemed to be the kitchen, from which several voices were emanating. He signaled his men to stay silent and crept near the door to hear what was going on inside.

The Altmer steward spoke, "Where did you find them?"

An unfamiliar voice, low and husky, that probably belonged to the Orc that had been outside replied, "Hiding in the loft of the stable. Just about ran them through with a pitchfork. Figured they'd done something."

"Indeed," was the reply, "What do you two have to say for yourselves?"

Captain Avidius leaned forward to get a look around the door jam. The Altmer steward was standing in the kitchen, the little girl hugging his leg. The Orc stable hand stood in front of them, holding two young boys aloft by their belts, one Nord and the other Breton.

The Nord boy insisted, "We just wanted to know if her skin had the same markings as her fur. And we couldn't see it through the hair. We didn't mean any harm."

"Besides, you said curiosity was a good thing," the Breton boy argued.

Steward Athellor frowned in exasperation, "When directed to studious pursuits. Not the torture of small animals."

"You're both rotten!" Runa accused out from behind Athellor's pant leg.

The Nord boy twisted in the air, swinging by his belt, "And you're a little tattle-tale!" He sang the accusation at her mockingly, the Breton boy joining in. "Tattle-tale! Tattle-tale! Tattle-tale!"

Runa jabbered back, "And you're rotten! Rotten! Rotten! Rotten!"

"Enough! All of you." The Altmer raised a hand to massage his temples, "The Divines only know how I'm going to survive the three of you going through puberty together." The Nord boy sniggered. Runa made a face. And the Breton boy looked around urgently, demanding to be let in on the joke. To the Orc, Athellor said, "Take them both upstairs to the library. The two of you will copy the conjuration cyphers for all of the atronachs twenty times each. And no sweets for a week." He turned, "Is that clear Baxe?"

From beyond the Captain's sight, the Dunmer woman from before responded, "Yeah, yeah. Got it. No sweets for the little urchins."

The two boys whined and argued as the Orc hefted them like bags of luggage through the kitchen and out the door almost straight into the Captain and his men. Athellor saw the peeping men and frowned. "Ushag, get the boys upstairs." The Orc gave a bow of confirmation and carried the boys down the hallway past the soldiers who were not even trying to hide the fact that they had been spying. The boys did try to swing around to look behind while the Orc carried them off.

Athellor detached Runa from his leg, "Why don't you stay here with Baxe while I speak with the men." She hopped up on a stool and the Dunmer came over with pea pods to be sorted. The Captain let Athellor lead him into one of the sitting rooms on the hall. Then the mer turned to him and said critically, "As you did not remain where I instructed, I suspect the rest of your men are now ransacking my Lady's manor?"

The Captain furrowed his brow, "The manor is being searched for signs of a threat to the empire. If nothing is found, we will leave this manor the way we found it."

"And I ask you again, what threat are you seeking?"

"That is confidential information, as is the source of the tip."

Steward Athellor frowned, but relented, "Then I suppose we have no choice. I will expect your men to be delicate with their search and not harass the household. We are citizens of the empire, after all. And my Lady will expect to find the manor as she left it. In the meantime, you will understand if I secure our treasure box and private documents." The Altmer swept from the room, again, without waiting for an answer.

Captain Avidius nodded after him, "Make sure he doesn't destroy any evidence." His two soldiers saluted and followed the steward. Outside in the hallway, Captain Avidius caught a movement out of the corner of his eye: the little Runa girl, peaking curiously out of the kitchen door. The Captain looked up and down the hallway, seeing neither his soldiers nor anyone of the household. So he relaxed his accustomed intimidating stance and approached her.

The girl shrunk back behind the door, although not all the way out of sight. Captain Avidius put on a smile and bowed to her, "Good afternoon, young lady. How are you?"

She mumbled something and tucked herself a little further behind the door.

He kept up the smile and gentle tone, "My name is Captain Avidius. I'm a soldier for the empire. Your name is Runa, right?"

She nodded. Then leaned a little out and asked, "Are we in trouble?"

The Captain knelt down and admitted, "I don't know. That's what I'm here to find out. I'm looking for some very bad people. And someone told us we might find them here. Have you seen anyone strange around here? Or anything that didn't look quite right?" The girl shook her head. "What about Lady Sharah? Has she ever done anything strange or something that didn't look right?"

Runa shook her head, "She's not strange. She's the best lady in the whole world. She adopted us from Honorhall and takes care of us and everything. She's wonderful!"

He nodded slowly, "I'm sure she is. But, you know, she might be working with some bad people. She might not even know it. Have you seen anything like that?" Runa shook her head again, so he asked, "What about a strange door? I heard that there was a strange black door that was here before this manor was built. Have you seen any funny looking doors around here?"

The girl nodded, "Yeah, there's one in the basement."

Captain Avidius kept his gladness in check, "Could you show me? There might be something dangerous behind it."

Runa hesitated, "Well…I'm not supposed to talk to anyone about it. It's secret. I'm not supposed to talk to strangers at all."

"I don't think we're strangers. You know my name and I know yours. And I'm a soldier. It's my job to keep people safe." She didn't look convinced. So he tried something else. "You know what? I think _you_ would make a good soldier, too. You took care of your cat and kept her safe when those boys tried to hurt her. That's just the kind of morale code that we look for in recruits. Would you like to join the Penitus Oculatus?"

The girl leaned out from behind her shelter, "What's that?"

"The Penitus Oculatus is a very special group of soldiers," he told her. "We protect the Emperor and do whatever it takes to keep him safe."

She shook her head, "I can't. I'm too little. And I'm a girl."

"I've met a lot of girls who were very tough. And you're never too little to help protect people. Would you like to be a member of the Penitus Oculatus?"

"…Are you gonna make the boys members too?"

The Captain shook his head, "No, just you."

She grinned and came full out from behind the door, although she did hold on to the door jamb, "Ok!"

The Captain pulled off his insignia ring and put it on her finger, "Then I hereby name you, Lieutenant Runa of the Penitus Oculatus."

The ring was much too large for her finger, but the girl clenched her fist around it to keep the ring in place, absolutely beaming at the special treatment, "Do I get to meet the emperor now?"

"Maybe one day. But for right now, I'm putting you in charge of keeping an eye on anything dangerous in this house. Think you can do that?"

She nodded vigorously.

The Captain stood up and saluted the little girl, just to seal the deal, "Then welcome aboard, Lieutenant Runa." The little Nord saluted back, with a wide grin. "Other hand, soldier." She switched, still smiling. "So, Lieutenant Runa, we have a job to do. There's something here that could be dangerous. Not just to the emperor, but to everyone. A dangerous door. Do you know where we could find that?"

Runa bobbed her head up and down and grabbed his hand, "It's this way. Come on!" And she pulled him on, leading him down the hallway. As they went, they passed a few of his men who were checking some of the rooms. Captain Avidius signaled to them to follow as Runa led him through the house. They made their way into the cellar and into the bowls of the manor.

XXX

Upstairs, Athellor went into a spacious office room that was full of various paper business. Filing cabinets, ledgers and the like on the bookshelves, and several small piles of papers on the desk that had yet to be completed or filed away. The Penitus Oculatus soldiers who had followed him tried to take stock of the aspects of the room, looking for anything that might indicate it was trying to be hidden. Although that was difficult to tell with this sort of organizing system.

The steward checked a locked chest in the room and then seated himself behind the desk where he seemed to have been working before the soldiers' arrival, "Search as you wish, but leave things as you find them. I do not wish to have to reorder anything."

They were a little slow in taking up the search, partly from the brusque invitation and disregard, partly because it was hard to tell where to start. They looked in each of the drawers and cabinets, most of which were Dwemer in design and mechanism, and felt beneath and around the furniture. But they found nothing odd or tucked away.

Briavael Athellor continued the work at his desk, reading, noting and occasionally tossing a letter or envelope into a Dwemer bowl. After a while he pushed it to the edge of the desk and said, "I intend to burn the items here. If you'd care to read them to be certain I will not 'destroy any evidence', you may."

One of the soldiers took the invitation, with only a slight hesitation. He leafed through the items to be discarded. One name caught his eye. "Maven Black-Briar?"

"My Lady handles a portion of the shipping for her mead. The content of that particular correspondence has already been dealt with. Therefore the letter itself is no longer necessary," Athellor answered.

The soldier pressed, "And you're not worried about her connections with the Thieves Guild…or the Dark Brotherhood."

"I am aware our shipments suffer fewer raids and thefts than others. But, beyond that, no, we do not concern ourselves with her associates. The people Maven Black-Briar chooses to deal with is none of our business so long as our business with her is undisturbed. And, from this distance, we are neither involved with nor aware of any of her more dubious associations."

The soldier looked back through the letters. "You're burning a letter from the Jarl of Whiterun?"

The Altmer did not look up, "It is one of many and not something my Lady will need to see."

The man flipped open the parchment, "Looks written in his own hand. Wouldn't that be important to show your mistress?"

"As I said: it is one of many and not of interest to my Lady."

A few lines read and the soldier looked up again, "You sure she wouldn't want to see this? This sounds like the kind of letter every woman would want to receive. Especially from a Jarl."

Not a sign of interest from the steward, "I have said it twice now, I shall not say it again. Balgruuf the Greater sends such a letter monthly, usually along with some bauble. Although his court mage's prose is more impressive. I believe that one came with a moonstone and sapphire circlet. It should pay for a new cart and horses to pull it."

"You're just going to sell something like that and burn the love letter without waiting for your own mistress's instruction?"

Athellor's quill ceased its motions and he looked sternly at the soldier, "My Lady has made her interests clear to me and to the Jarl of Whiterun. Or rather, her lack of interest. In my opinion, she did it too gently. But anything _he_ chooses to do or send after the fact will be used to my Lady's indicated priorities. Namely, the maintenance of her house and her business. That is my task as her steward and I would appreciate you, who have neither met my Lady nor know her wishes, to cease attempting to tell me how I should conduct myself in my work." The Altmer pegged the soldier with a glare so intense that the man dropped the letters back into the bowl and moved away to start peaking behind paintings. The steward went back to his work, resisting the lesser urge to grumble at the distractions of presumptuous humans.

XXX

The stables were receiving the same unscrupulous search as the rest of the house. Horses put their heads out to investigate the activity while members of the Penitus Oculatus went from stall to stall, looking into feed boxes and water buckets, climbing into the loft, searching through the tack in the storage room. But like the rest of the house, it all seemed clean and ordinary. Except for one place. Behind a pile of worn blankets and dry leather straps, one of the soldiers discerned a suspicious seal in the floor. He called over his companions and they shoved the pile of useless things aside to reveal a trapdoor that, even uncovered, was almost completely concealed in the dust and straw of the tack room.

They were just about to pry it open when the stable hand came in. He immediately panicked at seeing them by the trapdoor, "Wait! Don't touch that! Get away from there!" He came at them in a rush. But the soldiers were trained. Two of their number intercepted him. The sound of the struggle brought two more and together they wrestled the Orc to the ground and pinned him.

The soldier still at the trap door talked down to him, "Something in there you don't want us to see, Orc?"

He struggled under his captors and insisted, "No, there's nothing in there! Nothing at all!"

"We'll just see about that." He turned to the trapdoor and pulled it open. The cubby inside was not large, but the space was completely occupied by a well wrapped burden about the size of a bread box. The soldier looked smugly back at the trapped Orc, "What is this?"

"Nothing. It's nothing! Just leave it be."

Instead, the wrapped item was removed and set on a table out in the open. The Orc struggled harder as the bindings were cut and the thing that had been hidden was revealed: a heavy statue, shaped like an axe and a sword. A traditional symbol of Talos built into a centerpiece for a shrine. The soldiers were taken aback. They'd come here seeking the Dark Brotherhood. They hadn't expected to find signs of Talos worship.

The soldier at the table looked back at the Orc, "A shrine to Talos?"

The Orc's eyes were wide beneath the weight of Imperial authority, literally and figuratively. "It's not…That's mine. It's mine."

"Yours?"

"Yeah," he proclaimed, "It's mine. I made it. All on my own. And no one else knows about it. No body at all."

"So you worship Talos?"

The Orc nodded, with a little difficulty, "Yeah, that's me. Big Talos worshiper. Huge. But just me. No one else."

The soldier knelt down beside him, "You know it's against the law to worship Talos, don't you?"

"Which is why it was hidden," the Orc growled. "So why don't you just arrest me and get it over with?"

The soldier glanced back at the centerpiece to Talos, "That's some pretty high quality craftsmanship. Not the sort of thing a stable hand could afford."

"Well I did. I…got some inheritance and used it to buy a shrine to my favorite Divine."

The soldier leaned in, "I thought you said you made it."

The Orc's eyes widened and he sputtered, "I…did! I…bought the material with my inheritance and made the shrine on my own. You gonna arrest me or what?"

"Why make it at all?" the Imperial questioned, "Why go to all the trouble to make such a high quality shrine and then just hide it away?"

"It wasn't gonna be there forever. Just until the White Gold Concordant breaks. The Lady said it would only be a matter of time until the Great War comes back, and Talos with it."

The soldier leaned in, "She also tell you the shrine's sword needed to be carved with a dragonscale texture?"

"Yeah—I mean no! She...She doesn't know about it. Divines take you, just arrest me! I'm the only Talos worshiper around here. I broke the law. Throw me to the Thalmor already!"

The soldiers exchanged looks. This was definitely not what they'd expected to find. It was a hard minute of consideration. Then soldiers on top of him stood up and he was pulled to his feet.

He was questioned further, "You throw in with the Stormcloaks?"

"Those bastards? No! Bunch of racists could take a mace to the skull if they weren't so hard-headed they might like it. I'm with the Empire…Except for the Talos worship bit. All hail Talos!" He said it with force, but that last exclamation seemed just tacked on.

The soldier scrutinized him, then said, "You're a pretty sorry excuse for a Talos worshipper, though. Keeping such a good quality shrine hidden away." He looked over the Orc's shoulder at his companions and received the answer he was looking for. He spoke to the Orc again, "In fact, as long as that shrine is out of sight, I don't think you'd deserve to be called a Talos worshiper."

The men behind him let go of his arms, and it took a minute for the Orc to get the message. "You're…not arresting me?"

"We're looking for threats to the empire. And since you said you're with the empire, I don't think that's you. And, like I said, as long as you keep a shrine like that out of sight, I don't think you could be called a real Talos worshiper." The Penitus Oculatus emphasized the as sentence, trying to get the point across.

The Orc could scarcely believe what was happening. "Yeah…I guess I couldn't."

The soldier who'd questioned him signaled to his comrades and they headed for the door, ready to search further for signs of the Dark Brotherhood, if with a bit less certainty of finding anything. The moment they were out of sight, the Orc hurried to bundle up the centerpiece in the cloth and put it back in the cubby, hiding it more securely beneath the pile of refuse.

XXX

"Down here," Runa insisted, a little out of breath from running. But, as she ran on a child's stamina, the men following her breathed harder. She'd gotten them all the way down to the bottom most room of the cellar. They'd passed enough stores of food and water and supplies to wait out a siege. Not to mention signs of wealth stored away: swords and armor and possibly artifacts. But their goal was ahead and that was their focus.

As they came into the last room, Runa let go of the Captain's fingers and darted over to a large cabinet, "It's behind here."

Captain Avidius signaled to his men and they went over and picked up the cabinet and moved it out of the way. And behind the cabinet…was an empty wall. Captain Avidius could see no door in the apparently seamless length of stone. "Where's the door?" he asked the girl, trying to keep from the harshness from his question.

She pointed, "It's there. Behind the wall. You just can't see it. But if you look really close, you can see where it is. You just have to look for the seals that Lady Sharah put in the wall. See?"

Captain Avidius came closer and looked where the child was pointing. Sure enough, drawn thread thin into the wall was a series of patterns, dense and covering every inch of the stone. The room was dimly enough lit and the lines small enough that it might be impossible to see if someone didn't know they were there. And they ranged all along the wall to a height and width that might match the size of a door.

"How do you get to it? How do we get to the door?" the captain demanded of the child.

She shrugged, "I don't know. Lady Sharah sealed it up because it wasn't safe. I never saw the door. But she said it wasn't dangerous anymore and that we could play down here if we wanted to. But not if there were skeevers. Then we have to get Mojen to make traps." When Captain Avidius continued glaring at the wall, she asked, "That's what you were looking for, right? Well, Lady Sharah already made it safe. Hey, maybe she could be a Penticus Ocu…Ocutalu…cus, too."

The Captain didn't respond to her. He just stared at the wall, feeling the designs beneath his fingers and the magic in the stone. And knowing that what he'd come looking for was right on the other side of the wall, but likely unreachable by ordinary means. This was not what he'd expected to find.

XXX

Only one of the soldiers had remained in the office with Steward Athellor by the time Captain Avidius came in. "How do we get to the black door?" the captain demanded on walking in.

The Altmer snapped the drawer closed and replied, "So you found it. Which of my household did you intimidate into show you?"

"How do we get to the black door?" the Captain repeated.

"You can't," was the response as Athellor went over to a cabinet and began looking through the books inside. "The point of the seal is to keep anyone from reaching it."

"You sealed that door, now you're going to unseal it and give us access."

Briavael Athellor replied, "I did not seal the door. Lady Sharah did. And with a method and enchantment that I admit myself unfamiliar with. But the intricacies of her seal make it so that it will remain and withstand any attempt to remove it, be it physical or magical, except by someone who is both familiar with and capable of counteracting her methods."

"By the Empire, I order you to unseal that door!"

"I cannot because I am unable to," Athellor countered. He snapped the book in his hands closed and turned on the Captain, "At my Lady's behest I have tried everything I can think of to remove the seal she put over that door. But I could not do it. And, as a magister well learned in the various arts, I can assure you that no one will get at that door unless my Lady wishes them to. And I know for certain that she wishes it to remain sealed as it has been. There are enough dangers in the world. Lady Sharah does not wish this door to number among them any longer. And no amount of your infantile demanding will get you at that door."

One of the Penitus Oculatus soldiers came in and whispered something hurriedly in the Captain's ear. Captain Avidius's eyes widened and he looked oddly at the steward, "You have a Talos worshiper among your workers."

Athellor replied definitively and with no adjustment in tonality, "We abide by the law of the empire here and so we do not worship Talos beneath this roof."

"Is that so? Well, a shrine to Talos was just discovered in your stables. And your Orc stable hand said it was his."

"Ushag gro-Lumbak? You are mistaken. He does no worship Talos. Nor does anyone in this manor. As the law dictates."

The Captain continued, "He said the shrine was his."

"And I tell you that you are mistaken. When Ushag drinks, he says things he does not mean. I'm sure he was merely inebriated, and the shrine must have been planted by someone wishing to discredit this house. A Stormcloak, perhaps, who was unhappy with my Lady's support of the Empire. And as she does support the empire, she had dictated that we follow the law. And so no one here worships Talos." Straight, no frills, no admission. No sign of a lie.

There was a long moment as the Captain scrutinized the mer's face. "I would have thought a Thalmor agent would be all over this." The only sign of recognition on the Altmer's face was the miniscule narrowing of his eyes. But the captain was watching for it. "Don't be surprised. Altmer all have a superiority about them. But you Thalmor have a certain special egotism that sets you all apart. Perhaps your lady would want to know who she has serving her."

The mer raised his chin a quarter of an inch, "My Lady is well aware of my past affiliations. And, for your information, I have not been Thalmor for four decades."

"There is no such thing as an ex-Thalmor," the Captain said.

"And that is why I serve here. Because Lady Sharah does not share your belief. Now." The mer drew himself up to full height and took a few steps nearer the Captain, "You have invaded my Lady's Manor, likely harassed the household for which I am responsible, and made accusations against the people I have been tasked with protecting in her absence. If you have found something of note, then please make me aware of it. As to the door, you are more likely to discover your answers in the College of Winterhold. Lady Sharah has done some teaching of her methods there and perhaps they can better explain how well sealed the door is. Perhaps you will believe _them_ when they tell you that you will not be seeing that door.

"And as you have accused us of nothing short of betraying the empire we have supported in all manners, either you will present evidence of your accusations here and now or you will leave."

**I will put up one more chapter for this preview, then I will go back to writing 'Wolf of Cyrodiil'.**


	2. Tails

**Just a little wrap-up that would have overflowed the last section. Enjoy.**

Briavael Athellor stood at the upper floor window, slightly hidden behind the hanging curtains, watching the Penitus Oculatus soldiers march back toward Dawnstar. Their number upon departing was precisely the number that had entered. He'd counted them himself both times. And if he read their body language correctly, they were leaving confused and disappointed.

Ushag gro-Lumbak came into the room, his heavy treads distinct on the floor, "Did it work?"

Athellor remained unmoving and watched with his keen eyes until the soldiers were not only beyond the rocky outcrop, but ascending the steps of Dawnstar to the White hall of the Jarl. HE was likely the only one who could have picked them out at such a distance. Except perhaps Shy's-from-Sight. "No," he said. "But it worked well enough."

"Wait, it didn't work?!" The boys, Aventus and Samuel, ran in with Runa right with them.

The Altmer assured them, "It worked as it was supposed to. But if we had tried to convince them of our complete innocence, it would have come off as suspicious."

Samuel scratched his head, "So…it did work?"

Athellor sighed, but set into explain, "We succeeded in convincing them that we are not hiding the Black Door. They believe that our big secret is that there is Talos worship occurring in the house, and among our flaws is that we turn a blind eye to the ill doings of Maven Black-Briar. We gave them enough other things to think about that I do not believe they will have cause to come seeking the Brotherhood here again."

"Good thing, too." Mojen Rough-skin walked in with Shy's-from-Sight still under his arm and Baxe right behind them. "Shy was seconds away from clawing their faces off when I found them."

Athellor nodded to him in appreciation, "Good that you prevented it. That would not have worked in our favor."

Ushag asked, "Hey, why wasn't the Talos worship thing a bigger deal? I thought for sure I'd have to break out of jail or something."

The Altmer had an answer for that, "Because they worship Talos. Law or not, Concordat or not, without the Thalmor present, they had little motivation to arrest you for the shrine. In fact, it is all too likely that the emperor himself still holds to the belief of Talos and so stocks his personal guard with like-minded individuals. And as they were here looking for the Dark Brotherhood, they were even more willing to overlook the shrine. Be grateful. Retrieving you from a Thalmor jail would have been time consuming. Where is the bard?"

Baxe hopped up on the desk and started swinging her feet, "Out walking the shore looking for 'inspiration in the vastness'. By Sithis, I can't take much more of her. If I hear the Age of Aggression one more time from that nasally throat, I'm gonna tear it out." The Dunmer looked over at Mojen, "How do you even know she was gonna go all kitty-tears-a-lot on them. She looked scared out of her skin to me."

Mojen looked down at the fair Khajiit who was beaming up at him, "I can just tell." He leaned down and rubbed his roughly marked cheek against the soft fur of hers. Shy's-from-Sight nuzzled back and started to purr.

The little boys made gagging sounds and Baxe rolled her eyes, "Would you two get a room, already? I'm happy for you both but, by Sithis, that's disgusting!"

The gnarled faced Nord ignored her distaste. "Just wait until you find your kitten. Or you get to be someone else's."

Now it was Baxe's turn to gag. "Sithis will take me first."

Athellor spoke from where he was still looking out the window, "Careful what you say, Baxe. The Dread Father may take an interest in upsetting your plans. I understand it has happened before. And thank you, Shy, for restraining yourself."

The Khajiit purred louder against her Nordic lover.

Ushag interjected, "Hey, what about me? I had to let four of them sit on me. Don't I get any credit for not crushin' skulls?"

"Yes, Ushag. Thank you as well. I know that everyone did their part. I am certain Sharah would be quite proud."

At the mention of the name, Mojen asked, "So…does this mean…?"

Athellor nodded, "Yes. Astrid has betrayed us and our location. Or at least she believes she has. Now you know why no details of this Sanctuary were permitted to that in Falkreath."

Baxe whipped out a dagger from her boot, "So, that's a serious Tenet break. Do we get to go get her? Pleeeease tell me we get to go _get_ her!"

"No. If Lady Sharah's assumptions are correct, then her punishment is already being meted out. Or soon will be."

The Dunmer groaned in disappointment and started flipping the dagger around in her hand.

Runa trotted forward, "If they found us, did they find Lady Sharah too?"

Athellor touched her head, "Likely, child. But Lady Sharah is resourceful and was expecting Astrid's betrayal. She will be fine."

"But she killed the Emperor, right?"

"If the Penitus Oculatus knew to seek us in Dawnstar and has Lady Sharah's name, then they will know about the contract against the Emperor as well. They will likely try to use a dummy in the Emperor's place to capture her. A body double." When Runa's expression became distressed, he assured her, "Lady Sharah knows what she is doing. She has anticipated most everything and she will return to us soon." He stood straight up, "While we wait, however, there is work to be done. Lady Sharah has sent us two contracts."

Faces lit up all around the room. Then Ushag's grew dark. "Did…did _they_ see them?"

"Yes, but the latest love letter from Balgruff and the correspondence with Maven drew their attention. That, and the contracts were coded to appear as shipping requests. Ushag, if you would deal with the one in Windhelm. Use it as an excuse to look into another breeding stallion from their stables. Or rather, make the stallion the excuse for attending to the contract. And Baxe, you are going to Old Hroldan. While you are there, see if you can discover why the Reachmen have not sent a correspondence since Sun's Dawn. And if it is by intent, do not let them kill you."

She snatched the document from the Altmer, "Yes! I swear I was going nuts in here. Bard in the manor, Cicero in the Sanctuary…I don't know how the Listener puts up with him."

"Lady!" several voices corrected her.

Baxe cursed, "Right, right. Sorry. 'Listener' stays in the Sanctuary. 'Lady' everywhere else. Got it." She looked up, "Hey, if they're trying to weasel out of the arrangement, can I slit some veins? Send a message? Huh?"

Athellor looked sternly at her, "No. Complete the contract, gather intelligence, and report back. Lady Sharah will decide how to handle the Reachmen to suit her plans. And you tend to get…thirsty with that axe in hand."

The Dunmer grinned evilly. The children clustered forward eagerly.

"When do we get to go on contracts?"

"Yeah. How long do we have to wait for our turn?"

"It's been _forever_ since Grelod."

Athellor looked down at them from his natural height. "Until you are tall enough to touch the top of my head without jumping. _While_ I am standing and you are on the _ground_," the Altmer added, knowing the children could find loopholes anywhere. "Besides, you have cyphers to copy."

Aventus groaned, "You were serious about that?"

"Quite. Each of you, all four, twenty times. And what possessed you to shave poor Phoebe?"

Samuel grinned, "You said we were supposed to pick a role while the soldiers were here." The boys looped arms over each other's shoulders, "So we decided we'd be the rambunctious boys."

Athellor shook his head in exasperation, "In the future, beware of over-playing your part."

Runa declared, "I played a part too! And I got a souvenir without having to shave a cat." She flashed the imperial ring at her adopted siblings with a snooty grin. "I'm a Penitus Oculatus now, and you're not! Na-nana-nana-na!" she taunted them.

Samuel stuck out his tongue, "No, you're not."

"Yes, I am. The captain man said so."

Athellor bent down to look closer at the ring, "That is quite the souvenir, Runa. Keep a hold of that. It may prove useful in the future. And Mojen if you would move that Talos statue back into the Sanctuary. We do not need more attention if anyone else should stumble upon it. Some crate in the corner will be fine. And while you're down there check on Cicero. Make sure those wounds are healing up alright."

Mojen turned him and his partner toward the door, "That werewolf only bit him once, I'm sure he's fine. The little nutter's durable."

The family broke up. Ushag and Baxe to prepare for their contracts, Mojen and Shy's-from-Sight toward the stables, Samuel and Aventus to the library to find a way to put off doing their cyphers. Runa was about to go with them, but stopped at the door. "Athellor…Lady Sharah's gonna come back…right?"

He smiled softly, walked over and knelt to her level, "Lady Sharah is the daughter of Sithis. The Night Mother will guide and protect her as the Lady guides and protects us. Sharah is capable of much more than we can know. And if worse comes to worse, she has her husband to protect her. Yes, Runa, she is coming back. And we only need to be ready for when she does. Now, put that ring away somewhere secure and get to your cyphers."

Runa threw her arms around the Altmer's neck, "Thanks, Bria. I think you're the best Speaker ever." He hugged her back and then shooed the girl out of the door.

Then he went back to the window and looked out toward the sea. Lady Sharah had anticipated this and planned for it. Just like everything else. And even with the civil war heating up, the return of the dragons and rumors of a Dragonborn in the world, Lady Sharah was as she'd always been. As if she'd expected all of it. Or perhaps as if not a single occurrence could truly affect what she was contriving to do. He did not understand her. There were days he wondered if she was even human.

But he did not need to understand. She was their Listener. At first, Briavael had followed her merely because he had nothing else. Now, he followed because he knew he was a part of something great. A change that was spreading across the land, a little at a time with Lady Sharah at the center. And Briavael honestly did not know what the world would look like by the end.

**Hahahaha! Now you must suffer as I suffer. For I shall not be writing any more on this story until the 'Wolf of Cyrodiil' is over. Muahahahahaha! I am an evil genius. Simply eeeeevil!**

**I do hope you guys enjoyed this. Seriously, it's cramped in my skull with two full storylines running around at full speed. Some little tidbits may change in this, and there is plenty of stuff that is not mentioned in here. But this is a taste to introduce you to some of your OC's and let you know that, yes I will be writing about Skyrim. Now I'll go back to writing The Wolf, so we don't have to suffer this suspense any longer than necessary.**


End file.
